The Green Bay Packers needed an addition at backup quarterback heading into the 2024 season, so when Malik Willis entered his third season in Tennessee and showed improvement as a passer, general manager Brian Gutekunst was ready to step in.
Gutekunst and the Packers sent a seventh-round pick to the Titans for Willis before final cuts were made. Willis was stuck behind Will Levis and Mason Rudolph and likely to be released by Tennessee, and sending the draft pick to the Titans gave the Packers the rising backup quarterback they wanted. Gutekunst said the deal took a few phone calls and 24 hours.
“Malik is a guy who has really shown a lot of improvement in his third year, especially this last preseason,” Gutekunst said. “It’s an opportunity for us to get a guy who I think can not only play with his arm but also with his feet. We’re happy to have him.”
Like Gutekunst, Brandon Carwile of Packers Wire analyzed Willis’ preseason tape and found plenty of positives.
In the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints, Willis completed 3 of 4 passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns and ran four times for 42 yards. Both touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter as the Titans came back to defeat the Saints. He also led the Titans to a game-winning field goal on a 74-yard drive in the fourth quarter a week earlier against the Seattle Seahawks.
Willis was drafted by the Titans in the third round of the 2022 draft. The Packers like his skills, athleticism and potential as a quarterback. In fact, Gutekunst sees similarities between Willis and Packers quarterback Jordan Love in terms of coming into the NFL from a miniature school with a ton of skills but a need to develop as a professional quarterback.
“He’s always shown the traits. He’s a really good athlete. A really strong athlete. Strong arm. He can make all the throws,” Gutekunst said. “You saw flashes of him early in the preseason. But then I thought this year, the way he was patient and the way he went through his progressions and his ability to play in the pocket. When to run, when not to run. Those types of things have been developing.”
Gutekunst admitted the preseason was a bit of a test run, but Willis actually completed 20 of 27 passes, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt and gaining 101 yards in three preseason games.
Packers players are confident Willis will continue to improve despite his move to a modern offense.
“We follow players early in their careers and one thing we’ve seen, especially with the new coaching staff at Tennessee, is how much he’s grown on offense, playing in the pocket and making plays that way,” Gutekunst said. “It’s going to be something new for him, and obviously the quarterback position, it’s going to take some time, but we’re really excited about where his development has taken him and where he’s going to go, especially with our group.”
As of Wednesday, Willis is the only quarterback behind Love on the 53-man roster, with his backup job set to run through 2024, or even 2025 if he continues to improve.
Asked if Willis would be ready to take the revenge on Love when the Packers’ regular season begins in nine days, Gutekunst was confident he’ll be ready. Coach Matt LaFleur said he’ll throw Willis a lot of balls in the coming days to see if he can get up to speed in time. Sean Clifford, who returned to the practice squad, is an option to step up if Willis needs more time on offense.
